


Getting What is Owed

by Amari



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel!Ray, Demon!Joel, Kisses, M/M, This is going to be one hell of a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-05 10:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1814833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amari/pseuds/Amari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray's been having some awful nightmares that involve a demon. Just who is he, and why does he keep calling Ray his 'angel'?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_His skin felt warm, uncomfortably warm. His body felt like it was covered in a blanket in the blistering heat of a summer’s day. Sweat clung to his skin, threatening to drip at any moment, using his skin like a race track. Every breath of air he took burned his lungs with ash._

_Ray had no idea where he was, but the room looked like an office. Everything within it was different shades of red and maroon. Standing out in splendid contrast was the shiny black desk and chair that imposingly sat in the very center. The chair was turned toward the back wall, away from Ray._

_Ray tried moving, only to find that his arms were tied to the ceiling. He was suspended by a chain that burned his skin the more he struggled. The gasp of surprise caused him to cough without remorse._

_“Oh my little angel, you mustn’t struggle, I wouldn’t want any harm to come to you so soon.” A chilly voice spread through the room. “After all, you just arrived, and I need time to cherish my new toy.”_

_Ray’s eyes locked onto the movement of the chair, slowly turning, menacingly, his captor revealed himself. He was dressed splendidly, classiest of the classy, in deep purple pants, a crimson longsleeved dress shirt, a purple vest and a black tie. His arms were well built, and his face, well, a convenient black fog covered his face. But his smile shone through, a fiendish smile that sent electricity down Ray’s spine._

_He opened his mouth to speak, to curse out, to ask questions, but no sound came out of his throat. Just airy stuck sounds that mimicked gasping for air._

_“Ahh, you see, you can’t talk right now my angel, I won’t let you speak, not yet, anyway.” The stranger, no, **the demon**  said. “If you behave, and be the good little boy you should be, I may let you speak eventually, but for now, your vocal chords shall remain still.”_

_The demon stood from his chair and worked his way around the desk. He took long, but slow strides over to Ray. Standing in front of him, it was as if the demon was radiating heat off his body, rolling over Ray in waves.  A long finger trailed up Ray’s throat, resting on the bottom of his chin. It felt like he was holding his face over a campfire._

_The Demon purred, “Oh, you are so, so pretty, my angel. I’m so glad that I’ve finally got you. I’ve waited for ten years to have you, and now you are finally, finally mine.”_

_And then his voice dropped, “but now I have to make sure that you, and others, understand who you belong to.”_

_The demon’s hand dropped to Ray’s hip, sliding the shirt up and then pressing his thumb into the sensitive skin. Ray all but screamed because it felt like his flesh was burning while being stabbed by a thousand needles. The searing pain continued for minutes, as the demon engraved his emblem into his skin._

_“There. That couldn’t have been so bad.” The demon cooed, pulling his hand away when he finished. “You didn’t even pass out. What a good angel.”_

_The demon stepped back and took another look at his precious creature._

_“Oh, it’s so sad that I won’t get more time with you, but don’t worry, I’ll be coming to retrieve you soon. Until then, I’ll just have to patiently wait for these moments. Sleep well, my angel.”_

_The demon snapped his fingers, and the chains let go. Ray began falling into a dark abyss, screaming as black consumed him._

Ray woke up screaming, absolutely drenched in sweat, and breathing like he nearly drowned. He shook his head to confirm that he was, indeed, in his bedroom and that he just had one hell of a nightmare. Fumbling in the dark for his phone, he felt a sharp pain in his hip. Right where the Demon had pressed his thumb.

In a post-nightmare panic, he stumbled out of bed, and flipped on the lights. Sure enough, there was nothing on his skin. No trace of the nightmare being real other than the odd pain that remained. Ray ran a hand through his hair. It was 3am according to his phone, and there was no way he was getting back to sleep after that. Instead he crawled into the shower and afterwards watched some television until Kdin picked him up for work four hours later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burnie's not looking too well.

“Jesus Christ, Ray you look like shit.” Michael commented as soon as Ray entered the Achievement Hunter office.

Ray chuckled, shoving his bag under his desk, and plopped down, “Thanks, I tried really hard to impress you.”

“Consider me floored. But nah, seriously, what’s up?”

Ray stretched in his chair and cracked his neck, “Ah, just a weird nightmare. It was really vivid too. Like, there was a demon, and he did something to my hip, and when I woke up, my hip was actually hurting too. Crazy shit.”

Michael nodded, “Maybe you actually descended into hell for a night?”

Ray rolled his eyes, “Yes, Michael, that’s obviously what happened. I have to say, hell burns, but there’s a lot less screaming of damned souls than I expected. I might get a place down there when I’m dead.”

“I’ll make sure to get a place next to yours.”

“I dunno man, with the way you drink I think you’ll be there waaaaaaaayyy before me.”

“Shut up, Ray.”

—

In another part of the office, the magnificent Burnie Burns was doing whatever the great Burnie Burns does.  Working, obviously. And surprisingly, everything around him was near silent so he could actually get some work done.  Even in his moment of peace, he felt something stirring in the pit of his stomach. Like that poke in the back of your mind when you’ve forgotten something important. A brain itch, a lost word, something in disorganized files that make up a person’s memory.  Trying to grab out to the lost thought is like dragging your skin against sandpaper. It hurts and doesn’t provide any rewards.  Normally, Burnie could push it out of his mind with the usual saying if he can’t remember, it couldn’t have been important.

But this… this was far different.

The phone on his desk rang suddenly, shoving Burnie out of his thoughts. The screen on the phone displayed that it was an outside call.  Scrambling, he picked up the receiver. “Hello, this is Michael ‘Burnie’ Burns of Roosterteeth Productions, how I may I help you?”

“Ahhh, Burnie my friend, how good to talk to you again after so long.” The chill voice said on the other end.

Burnie’s stomach dropped like a stone. There was no mistaking that eerie voice, beyond human.

“Hello, Joel.” Burnie greeted flatly.

“Oh my, you sound oh so happy to hear me. I mean, I would be just as excited as you are.” Joel laughed.

“With no intent on sounding rude, may I ask why you are calling?”

“Oh Burnie, I’m hurt! How could you forget? Don’t you remember that deal we struck ten years ago?” Burnie did. “You know the one. The one that made sure that Roosterteeth got off the ground?  _The one that you paid for with your very soul?_  Well, my friend, it’s time for me to collect.”

Burnie swallowed a cancerous lump.

“But.” Joel added.

“But?” Burnie repeated.

“I’ve found an alternate payment for you, something worth far more than your soul, Burnie my dear.” Said Joel. Burnie could picture the other man’s bony finger twisting around the cord.

Though he should have been relieved, he knew that nothing truly comes from dealing with demons. Although, it did sound appealing, not having to surrender his soul. “Oh? What is this payment?”

“Did you know…” Joel trailed off with a smile in his voice, “that you have an angel, of all things, in your midst?”

Burnie smirked, “Yeah, rosterteeth does have some nice looking employees, but calling them angels is a little much, don’t you think?” Yeah Burnie, make a joke out of your employees when their very lives are at stake. That’s the best thing a boss can do.

“I’m afraid you don’t understand,” Joel said, disappointment evident in his voice, “You have an actual Earth-born Angel working for you. They are rare creatures, and from what I can tell, he’s completely unaware of his own blood. He’s worth so much more than you ever would be, my friend. That’s why I’ll be coming up to take him myself.”

“Wait. Take _him_?” Burnie asked.

“Yes. I’m taking your angel away, he’ll belong to me.”

“Who is it?”

“Oooh, I’m sure you’ll figure that out soon enough. Expect my visit in a few weeks. I expect a full tour of the Company I helped get off the ground.”

“Wait, Joel—“

“Goodbye Burnie.” Joel said and then the line went dead. The silence crept straight into Burnie’s bones. He still had a soul, but he never felt emptier in his life. It was the absence of fear he should have felt, it was the absence of anything he should have felt. He couldn’t feel anything, but he was sure that the fear would punch him in the face soon enough.

“Fuck.” Burnie cursed before setting the phone back on the hook.

—

Everyone was huddled in their typical groups in the kitchen area. Curious murmurs confirmed that everyone was confused by the ‘emergency meeting’ that Burnie had called. At this point, they were waiting for the man to wander over from his office.  Ray was standing by himself, absently rubbing at the top of his hip. Throughout the day he’d get a spike of pain there, but it wasn’t anything too bad. It was like an annoying needle prick. Or maybe it was more like a child, poking him and saying “don’t forget me, don’t forget me!” In his darkened corner his brain drifted off to the nightmare, where he replayed the scene for the hundredth time.

Michael wandered over to Ray, “So, I know you have no idea what this is about, but do you maybe have some idea what this is about?”

Ray shook his head, “Not a damn clue. I don’t think anyone knows, not even Matt.” Ray gestured over to the sandy-haired man. “Look at him, he’s even pacing.”

Gavin gawked over and leaned on Michael’s shoulder.  “Team lads!”

“Team Lads.” The other two repeated back at him.

Before they could continue having a conversation, Burnie walked into the Kitchen. The silence that curtained over the employees was almost cold. Burnie himself didn’t look well. He was pale, almost ghost-like. The only time they’d seen Burnie remotely like this was one time when he was really ill.

Burnie looked around, all faces were on him. He swallowed thickly before speaking, “Hello everyone. I’m glad that everyone came on really short notice, but this… this is really important. Now, I know that this may seem strange, and it kind of is in a weird way, but just bear with me please.” He scanned the room looking for silent agreement before continuing. “Right. Someone important, very important will be coming to visit real soon. And by important, I mean this man has the power to take away everything we hold dear at the snap of his fingers. I’m not saying we should be afraid of him; I’m not saying that at all. What I am saying is that when he shows up, and I’m not sure when that will be, that everyone will be on their best behavior. Act like this is a business, make this man happy.

“And…” Burnie trailed off, letting the sentence hanging in the air.  

He shook his head forcing himself to say the next few words, “And if he asks one of you to come with him for a moment, please, just do it. It might seem weird, but just please go talk to him. I… I… I promise… that you’ll be alright.

 “Does anyone have any questions?”

The room stayed silent, everyone’s mouths feeling like they were stuffed with cotton. They didn’t know what to say. What could they say?

“Alight.” Burnie said with a finishing nod, “Everyone’s dismissed, if you have any questions after, just talk to me later and I’ll do my best to answer.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray isn't in a good spot.

_Ray’s legs felt heavy below him. They hadn’t moved in some time and the muscles aching as he tried to twitch them back to life. What could be causing the sensation he wondered as his eyes fluttered open. The demon and his office greeted Ray with a fiendish smile. At once his body registered the suffocating heat filling his lungs with its awful air. He coughed violently and he fought against the chains that held his arms high above his head. After his body ceased in its shudders, he glared at his nightly captor._

_He opened his mouth to say, “What are you looking at, fucker?” only for a faint gasp of air to escape his throat. The bastard snickered to himself watching Ray struggle to speak._

_“Hello my little angel, I’m so happy to see you again.” He sneered taking a step from his desk, “It’s incredible how much sleep humans need, really. It allows me to see you more often though.” He paused for a moment to drink all of Ray in. “Although, soon enough your body will actually be here and not just a small fragment of our soul. I’ll have you all to myself whenever I want you.”_

_Again, the demons words melted into obscurity. Whatever he said didn’t make any sense at all to Ray as he tried to fight his bindings. The metal burned hotter against his skin the more he fought. Dreams aren’t normally supposed to hurt, right? So what in the ever-loving hell is this?_

_“My angel, I’m afraid I haven’t learned your name, would you mind telling me yours?” The demon asked. Upon realizing that Ray’s voice was still sealed, he raised his fingers and snapped. The crack bounced off the walls and climbed Ray’s body. Ray could actually feel his vocal chords relax like loosening a rubber band about to snap. However, before Ray could enjoy his newfound verbal freedom the demon poked a finger at the pit of his stomach, somehow making Ray’s mouth clamp shut._

_“Just a precaution, wouldn’t want anything foul to be the first thing to come out of those pretty lips of yours.” He said, the grin never leaving his face. “Now, I shouldn’t have to repeat myself, but all I want is your name, then you can feel free to let the words fly.”_

_The tip of the demon’s finger started to glow with a faint orange light and Ray felt his insides tighten. Something else had made its home inside his body. The demon began to move his finger up Ray’s body and with the movement so did the thing inside Ray. It slithered slowly and Ray knew that the snake inside him carried words he couldn’t control._

_“Ray. My name is Ray.” The words forced themselves out of his throat, burning as they went._

_“Splendid!” The demon cheered taking a jump back and even wriggling in sheer excitement, “Of course! My angel would have a name that means Radiant! A name that means Grace! Perfect for an angel such as yourself!”_

_Ray let the demon talk animatedly to himself while he thought of the first thing he could say to the demon. Where did he start? This was just another horrid nightmare, so was it really worth it? Maybe he would just play along, play the smartass role he’d long been in. Ray pulled on his persona and smirked at the demon._

_“So, do I get to know your name? Wouldn’t that be fair? Or am I to be left in the dark, kinda like your face is?” Ray asked confidently._

_The other man stiffened, “My angel, I need you to be patient. I’m going to come pick you up in about two weeks and you’ll be mine. You can see my face, and I’ll tell you aaaaaallll about me. I’ll tell you so much that you’ll know things that even my closest colleages don’t know.”_

_Ray swallowed, “You keep saying you’ll ‘pick me up’ when I’m already here.  What do you mean?”_

_“Like I said before, Ray, you aren’t actually here. For you, this is just a dream, probably a terrible dream for you, but for me this is reality. This is real. All of it, and part of your soul, the only part I have ownership of for now is here. I’m going to come and get the rest of it, and your body.”_

_The demon’s words ran like mice down his spine. Ray started struggling against his chains. “What are you talking about!? I don’t understand!”_

_The demon strode right into Ray’s face. Long fingers cupped the sides of his cheeks and lifted him to face the taller demon directly in the dark shadow that was supposed to be his face. “It means,” The demon began before he kissed Ray, smashing his lips against the other’s. His lips exploded in pain and he struggled to pull away. What little air he had to breathe was sucked out of his lips. With that never-dying grin the demon finally pulled away._

_“You belong to me, Ray Narvaez Jr.”_

Ray woke up yelling at the top of his lungs. After taking a full minute to calm himself he brushed his hand on his lips.

They hurt.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray is tired. So very tired.

“Ray, you still look like shit.” Michael said when Ray slugged his way into the Achievement Hunter office.

“Thanks. I feel pretty.” Ray groaned. After last night’s fun little nightmare keeping him up at one am, he wasn’t feeling entirely peppy. While his eyelids wanted to close, and his body wanted to ship itself in a crate to the island of sleep Ray’s fear of falling into yet another nightmare kept his brain buzzing just loud enough. Thank god the let’s plays they had to record didn’t require too much energy out of him.

Wait. Shit. Ray groaned as he remembered that they did have Versus to record. Fantastic. Well, at least he had the time to pump coffee and red bull into his blood. Until then he would have to just hang on to the edge of awake and sleep. He needed one of those kitten posters where the cat was hanging onto the branch for dear life because lord knows there are probably Sanic the Hedgenog spikes that would puncture the poor thing into swiss cheese.  Hang on you little motherfucker. Yeah, that’s what Ray needed to do. Hang on, motherfucker.

Somehow Ray managed to keep his eyes open and brain functioning long enough to make it to the Versus. It was Michael versus Jack in some obscure game that had to do with bicycles. Half of it was in broken English and the other half was in straight up Japanese characters. Either way, it was actually one hell of a blast to watch them flail through the game. Ray belted out his commentary with faked enthusiasm. By the end of the video with Michael somehow winning, Ray patted himself on the back for his shirt-worthy commentary.

From there, the office calmed down into its quiet murmuring. Comments from one to the other in passing as they edited their own videos. Calm… quiet. Typing from Michael’s computer sang a sweet lullaby to Ray. With a video rendering, he could afford to close his eyes. Just for one minute.

Or maybe two…

_Ray felt warm, the good kind of warm. The kind of warm that comes when you wrap yourself in blankets on a cool night. He rolled over, adjusting his arm, and realized that there weren’t any sheets, and it was awfully flat under him. His eyes fluttered open and he was greeted with a rough burgundy carpet he was all-too familiar with.  Pushing himself up, he noticed he was in that god-forsaken office again._

_Quickly he scanned the room, and to his surprise, there wasn’t that demon waiting for him. Also to his surprise, he noticed something else._

_He had wings._

_Not just some lame cardboard cut-out painted white and attached to his back, or those thin fairy wings you can buy for Halloween, no, he had  wings. Pure white feathered wings that elegantly extended from his back. Even when with the Primary feathers folded up on the floor they still looked beautiful. Ray shifted and found out that he actually could move them too. It felt like he was trying to move his shoulder blade that grew another arm. A much heavier arm._

_Had he always had these wings in the nightmares? He could never tell with his head locked between his arms when they were chained above him._

_His eyes widened when it dawned on him._

_“Oh god, that’s why he’s been calling me an angel, isn’t it?” Ray gasped to himself._

_“Well, well, well, isn’t someone here a little early?” A familiar teased behind him. Ray spun around, tossing his wings behind him and bounced into a defensive stance. Sure enough, the demon was behind him, face still hidden but his mouth lacked his smirk. Actually, the demon looked genuinely confused. “What happened? You fall asleep at work or something like that?”_

_“Fell into hell, more like it.” Ray spat out._

_The demon shrugged, “Well, I can’t say you’re wrong.” He yawned loudly showing off his sharp canines. Ray’s eyes dropped when he saw movement near the demon’s feet. Something that looked like a wire was swishing back and forth. It was… a… a tail?_

_Ray shook his head violently, not letting himself get distracted, “Okay, demon, why am I here now?”_

_“Beats me.”_

_“Why aren’t I chained up?”_

_“I could answer that, but I get the feeling you actually don’t care.” The Demon scratched the back of his neck, “Look, you probably want to get out of here, don’t you?”_

_Ray cocked an eyebrow, “What? Are you offering to let me out? What’s wrong with you?”_

_“As much as I would love to play with my pretty bird today, if I want to actually pick him up from the store, I have to fill out some paper work. So, if you’ll excuse me—“ The demon trailed off as he started stepping toward Ray._

_“Hey hey no!” Ray shouted, backstepping into the demon’s desk. The demon just closed the gap and ran his hands up Ray’s sides, leaving hot trails on his skin._

_“See you later, my angel.” The demon said sweetly before leaning in to kiss Ray once again._

“Noooooooo!” Ray shot up in his chair, screaming bloody murder. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray may have found some peace... for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the jumping around. I swear it needed to happen.

“What the fuck, Ray?” Geoff reacted as soon as Ray screamed, knocking his chair over from standing so quickly. “You okay over there?”

“Yeah,” Ray swallowed, trying to still his thundering heart.  “Yeah. I just—I kinda had a nightmare.”

Michael chuckled, “Jesus dude, you fell asleep?”

“I’m going to give you a nightmare if you don’t actually get some rest tonight. I don’t need you screaming when you aren’t supposed to be screaming.” Geoff grumbled threateningly before setting his chair back up.

After some unrelenting teasing on Ray’s behalf, the office quieted back down.  Ray’s heart steadied, but his mind was far from work. There were so many things different about that nightmare that made his head spin. It felt the same as when you have a dream, wake up, and then fall asleep again quick enough to pick up where you left off. That second dream isn’t the same though, it never is. The feeling is different the plot is different, your awareness is different. That’s how this office nightmare was to Ray.

\--

“Burnie, why can’t you tell me more about this guy that’s coming to our office?” Matt nearly yelled in Burnie’s face. Their entire conversation so far just consisted of mumbles from the curly-haired man, and Matt was sick of it. He waited a day to allow Burnie to get himself together, that should have been enough time. But now, from the sweat collecting on his forehead, he was falling apart at the seams.

“Matt, I can’t, okay? I really can’t. I can probably talk all about him after he visits, but for now, you really just have to trust me.” Burnie said weakly. His hands tapped piano solos into the desk as he looked at Matt.

“Okay, when is he supposed to show up?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“How do you not know!? What, did he just call you and say ‘hey I’m dropping by because I can’?”

Burnie nodded, “Actually, that’s pretty much.”

“And you just said yes?!” Matt slammed his fists on Burnie’s desk.

“I—I … Matt, we had no choice. I’m not kidding you when I say he could tear us all from this with a snap of his fingers. Possibly literally.”

Matt folded his arms, “This man sounds like a real demon.”

Burnie paled on the spot, “Oh god. You don’t even know.”

“No, I don’t, and I wish I did.”

“No, Matt. You don’t want to know.”

\--

Ray wanted to sleep, but he also didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to put his body to rest; his body called for it. He needed a good night’s sleep. No bullshit. No demons. No nightmares. Tossing and turning in his bed, his mind raced along tracks of thoughts and worries. Honeybee hives of brain activity kept him just above the threshold of the sleep his body desperately craved. For a moment, he nearly regretted his decision to never drink, because that alcohol would knock him out like a punch to the face.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Just take in the oxygen, Ray, and you’ll be out soon.

He relaxed and let the wave of sleep wash him away.

\--

To his surprise, he woke up to the sound of his alarm on his phone. He didn’t wake up screaming, he wasn’t covered in sweat. He wasn’t feeling like he’d been ripped in half. He felt fine. Energetic in fact.  He slept through the entire night!

No goddamn demon.

No goddamn nightmares.

Feeling like the energizer bunny, he sprinted through his morning routine with a vigor he didn’t know he had. His mind was clear as the sky outside. No pain would drag Ray down today!

Even at work his newfound energy was noticed.

“Did you get laid or something, Ray?” Geoff joked during a letsplay.

“It’s more like I didn’t get fucked, Geoff.” Ray cackled, “I slept like a babe.”

“You are a babe.” Michael poked.

Ray chuckled. “Thanks Michael, so are you.”

\--

Ray found himself demon-free for four nights in a row, but in nightmare only. Even when he wasn’t visited by the mysterious being, he was on his mind. It would come in slow waves, the memories of the dreams. In the first dream, he was branded, and Ray still absently ran his thumb on the spot above his hip. In the second dream, the demon kissed him, and Ray’s lips still stung randomly. It would feel like he kissed an electrical socket and he’d twitch, but he managed. In the third dream, Ray found out he had wings. The heaviness in his back never left after that dream. It was a backpack he couldn’t take off, and it was uncomfortable. No matter how he shifted and stretched, the weight just sat there. The weight of the demon sat on his mind and the wings sat on his back.

With the weight, came a fear. A fear that the nightmare would return any night came with the demon’s smile in the back of Ray’s mind. Would tonight be another nightmare? Would it? Or would he be able to sleep soundly as he had been.

Well, what could he actually do about it? Ray eventually decided that it wasn’t worth fretting over, and silently prayed that he’d be able to sleep soundly for a fifth night in a row.

_Red paint. Burgundy carpet. Black desk. Warm skin._

_Massive sigh._

_Ray’s hands were held high above him once again._

_“Really? Really? I was almost convinced I was done with these nightmares!” Ray shouted into the office of the demon._

_“I missed you so, so much, Ray. I just had to see you one more time.” The voice came from behind him, and Ray couldn’t turn to look. “Did you miss me? Be honest.”_

_Of course this would be the moment where the demon seized his voice and disabled him from speaking. The loud “fuck you” Ray had readied to throw, died in his throat. Warm hands settled at Ray’s hips, and a breath brushed against the back of his neck. Ray squirmed under the touch. The demon shushed him and moved his hands to cross at Ray’s stomach. He was being hugged. Gently. Tenderly. Something Ray had never expected from a nightmare. The hug was securing, but far from the possessive actions the demon had previously been showing._

_“I do hope you missed me a little bit.” The demon said, massaging Ray’s stomach in gentle circles. Despite the comfort, Ray felt that that snake form under his skin just like the last time Joel forced Ray to say something. “You did, didn’t you? Even if you didn’t admit it to yourself, you’ll admit it to me, won’t you?”_

_Dragging a thumb up Ray’s front, he felt the snake follow, up and out his throat, “Yes. Deep down, very deep down I missed you a little.”_

_The demon nuzzled his forehead against the back of Ray’s neck, “Good. Makes me feel better. I’ll be coming to get you in three days. Don’t be too scared.”_

_Ray’s throat was released, and as much as he wanted to scream, all he said was “I’ll probably run.”_

_The demon chuckled, “I’ll catch you. I promise you that much.” He kissed back of Ray’s neck._

Ray’s eyes fluttered open to the darkness of his bedroom.  He didn’t feel tired, and he didn’t feel scared.

But the back of his neck burned.

Three days, huh?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Day Arrives.

Burnie had received a call when he’d gotten home on Monday, and boy, did he ever regret answering. The chill voice on the other end made the older man freeze in his spot.

“I’ll be there in three days, be ready for me.” Joel warned and immediately hung up.

Burnie’s phone slipped through his fingers and clattered on the floor. Following the same path as his phone, Burnie slid to his knees, sinking into misery. Worried, Ashley put her arms around him and tried to convince him into telling her what was wrong. Burnie couldn’t answer.

Thursday morning rolled around and he found himself at the entrance of Stage 5 before the ass-crack of dawn. Maybe the sun wouldn’t come up. Maybe today just wouldn’t happen. Burnie laughed into the open air.

When had he become such a coward?

In all the time he had to think, he realized that he’d be willing to offer his soul once again. He’d beg, he’d plead, anything to make the demon change his mind. Because when it came down to it, Burnie would never be able to forgive himself for sacrificing a co-worker, a family member, for his own mistake. He would never be able to justify it to himself or anyone in the office.

Ashley came up from behind Burnie and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Are you going to be alright?” She asked despite already knowing the answer.

“No. No matter what happens today, nothing is going to be the same. For anyone.” Burnie said before turning to her and kissing her like it would be the last time they’d see each other.

And who knows, it might just be.

\--

When someone is nervous, their stomach feels funny. Some people would describe the movement underneath their skin as butterflies, but Ray would have described it as spiders. Millions and millions of spiders crawling over each other fighting for space and tickling at the same time. Butterflies are pretty at least, and right now Ray would much rather have the butterflies instead of his current infestation.

It was Thursday, the day the Demon said he’d come to get him. Sure, Ray had been trying to convince himself that it was just a dream. That nothing was going to happen. Nothing at all.

Well, other than Burnie’s scary friend visiting the office.

It was almost as funny seeing Burnie be as scared as Ray had been feeling in his nightmares.

Realistically, the guy probably was just a fat old white dude in a suit that had so much money he could wipe his ass with it. He would walk in, waltz around like he owned the place with his scummy grin and would probably force someone in the office to give him a blowjob under a desk like the sick perv he would end up being. And there would be absolutely no way someone could deny him because he could level the entire Studio, fire the employee, and pay other people to fuck up their lives even deeper.

He almost felt bad for Burnie because he just kept wandering the various offices. He’d look at the employees like he accidentally stepped on a cat’s tail and slink away to the next office where he’d do the same. Sometimes he’d ask for hugs too. Granted it was strange, but Ray couldn’t let himself worry too much about it. When the old bastard showed up, he’d be himself and no one else.

Ray glanced at the bottom of his screen for the time. Eleven o’clock and the guy still hadn’t shown—

Ray’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pain above his left hip. Not just any pain, it felt like his skin was exploding. His hand snapped to the surface of his skin, hoping that maybe rubbing it would ease the pain. Noises escaped his mouth, and sweat began to form on his skin. It was like he was being stabbed in that spot repeatedly with a large steak knife tipped with poison. His muscles seized with the pain and he launched himself out of his chair on to the floor.

As embarrassing as it was he was honestly screaming in pain. “Help me! Guys help me!” He shouted as best he could.

Ray’s entire body began to burn like he’d been doused in gasoline and set ablaze.

The other members of the office had crowded around Ray in panic. They kept asking him over and over what was wrong and the only answer he could give as an anguished cry. The tears that formed on his face felt like lava melting his flesh.

And with one last “Help me.” Ray passed out on the floor.

\--

Burnie ignored the shouting he could faintly hear from the Achievement Hunter Office in exchange for painting a smile on his face and opening the Stage 5 front doors for a suited gentleman.

“I’m so glad you came. I’ve been waiting eagerly for you.” Burnie said cheerfully.

The man hadn’t aged a bit since the last time they met, but Burnie supposed that when you are a demon, you don’t have to age at all. The man was handsome as ever. Strong jaw, perfectly even face with a smattering of dark freckles and chin hair, he was a magazine ad model post-Photoshop in real life. He had thin black hair swooped up in a carefully careless manner that made him shine with youth.  Donning a complete suit, he looked like he meant business.

“I’m so glad I could finally visit, Burnie. I’ve waited a very long time for this.” Joel said smoothly, dark brown eyes sweeping the entry way, taking in every detail of the place.

“I’ll give you a tour, and then we could talk for a bit, does that sound okay with you?” Burnie offered.

Joel smiled a wide grin, “Sounds lovely.”

\--

Geoff paled at the sight of his passed out employee on the floor. The young man had been screaming as if he had been on fire, as if Satan himself had placed his hand upon him.

“What do we do, Geoff?!” Gavn cried out, beginning to fret.

Geoff frowned and landed on his knees next to Ray. Rolling him over so the side he’d been clutching onto would be facing toward the ceiling. Bunching up Ray’s shirt he exposed the skin underneath.

“You’ve got to be FUCKING KIDDING ME!” Geoff exclaimed.  “Fuck fuck fuck!”

A mark glowed a faint orange on Ray’s skin, right above his hip bone. It was the same color when you cover the tip of a flashlight with your fingers. The mark was in a spiral and cracked out like lightning across his body.

A demon’s mark.

“Fuck.” Geoff shoved Ray’s shirt back down and jumped to his feet.

“Geoff!? What’s wrong?” Michael asked.

“Michael!” Geoff snapped, picking up his bag and throwing it at Michael, his keys following. “Take Ray and go. Now.”

Michael fumbled with the bag, “Go where!?”

Geoff was picking up Ray’s limp body and telling Jack to pick up the other side, “I don’t care, get in my car and go and keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t talk to anyone. If you have to pay for gas, pay with the cash in the bag, and don’t you dare even think about paying with a credit card. Leave Texas for all I give a damn, but don’t you dare stop.”

Michael followed behind Geoff who was blazing a trail to the entrance, “Geoff, what’s this about?!?”

“Shut up.” Geoff commanded, “I’ll call you later, for now just listen to me.”

Megan, who was working the front desk, jumped from her chair when she saw the men pulling Ray’s unconscious body through. “What’s going on?” She asked worriedly.

“Michael is taking Ray to the hospital, he passed out.” Geoff quickly lied and nearly kicked the front doors open. He set Ray up in the passenger seat, buckling him in safely as Michael jumped into the driver’s side and started the ignition.

Michael sped down the road and was out of sight soon enough.  Geoff let out a sigh of relief.

“C’mon Jack. We need to go back inside. We have a guest we need to greet.”

\--

“And this is the Achievement Hunter office. These six guys are what draw a pretty good crowd to us with their Letsplay channel.” Burnie explained to Joel as he stepped in, “Everyone, this is Joel Heyman, why don’t you greet yourselves?”

The four remaining men smiled in Joel’s direction and each stood from their chairs. They wandered over and gave the man a firm handshake.

“I’m Ryan Haywood, nice to meet you sir.”

“Hello, I’m Jack Pattillo.”

“Hi. Gavin Free’s my name.”

When it came to Geoff’s turn the two men locked eyes, thickening the atmosphere instantly. He had told his friends moments before that Joel was not a good person, but to put on their best face for him anyway. Act like everything is normal, and everything will be okay. Maybe Geoff didn’t listen to his own orders because he grabbed the gentleman’s hand with a death-like grip. They shook and didn’t let go.

“I’m Geoff Ramsey. I’m their boss.”

“Joel.” The demon glared right back. “I couldn’t help but notice that Burnie said that six men, and I’m only counting four.”

Geoff didn’t even blink, “One of our men suddenly got ill, and the other is taking him home.”

“You don’t say? Well, that is such a shame. I’m quite sad that I didn’t get to meet them.”

“Yeah, I’m real sad too.” Geoff nearly spat before practically throwing the demon’s hand out of his.

Joel flexed his hand before dropping it to his side and offering a smile. “Well, gentleman, I’ve had a pleasant time here today, but I feel like I should get going.”

Geoff smirked, “Oh really? Didn’t you just get here? You should stay awhile longer.”

 Burnie agreed, “Yeah. Besides, I still have some places left I can show you.”

“Maybe even offer you some lunch?” Ryan piped in smoothly.

Joel looked among the men. Eager faces nearly begging him to stay. He couldn’t just demolish their hospitality like that, could he? He agreed to stay and had to hold back as he saw Burnie visibly unclench his asshole. His blood pressure has probably gone through the roof with stress.  Joel turned around to exit out the door, but stopped just short.

“Geoff, you seem like an interesting man.” He said with this face turned into the hallway, “We should have a long, long conversation some other time.”

“Yeah. I agree. We should.”  Geoff said before muttering ‘fucker’ under his breath as quietly as possible and closing the door behind them.

\--

Joel faked smiles and caring all the way back to Burnie’s office. He was sure that he had some of the employees absolutely smitten with his charm, men and women alike. He would love to collect their hearts in jars like the collector he was, but today he had a different agenda. As soon as Burnie closed his door, he peeled off his snake skin of a persona.

“Burnie, I’m not fucking stupid. I don’t know why you are trying to outsmart a demon, but it’s making me very, very unhappy.” Joel growled darkly.

“W-what?” Burnie stumbled over himself in fear.

Rings of electricity formed at the bottom of Joel’s feet. Like a gravity-defying hula-hoop they rose from the ground and rejoined at the top of his head. Various electronic devices near him began to flicker as the electricity swam around his body. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to stall me from retrieving my angel.”

Burnie swallowed harshly and flexed his fists, “You… could say that. I want to talk to you about our deal. Is there any way we could change the price again? Back to my soul? I will willingly give it if you please, please let me keep my employee.”

Burnie bent down on his hands and knees, putting his head on the ground, “Please. I know I’m a lowly human compared to a demon like you, but I can’t live with the guilt. I can’t live with what this is going to do to me, to my company, if you take my employee away from me. It would destroy the trust that this family has been built upon. I could never look them in the face again.”

The curly-haired man was sobbing on the carpet. A great man was reduced to a pathetic sobbing lump on the floor begging for forgiveness. It was disgusting as far as Joel was concerned. Joel took a few commanding steps forward, yanked Burnie to his feet with ease, and held him by the front of his collar. Zaps of electricity ran across Burnie’s skin, leaving purplish marks in stripes.

“Your ‘employee’?  You keep calling him that as if you don’t even know his name! Is that really caring? Doesn’t seem like it to me! Besides, Burnie my dear, your human soul is practically worthless compared to that of Ray’s. “ Burnie’s eyes bulged out at the mention of Ray’s name, “I’m going to deny your request, my friend, and I’m going to retrieve my angel.”

“B-but Geoff said he was sick, do you really want to take a gross human back with you to wherever you came from?”

“Ray’s not sick, and he’s not a human.” Joel hissed, “While I’m wasting time with you, Ray is probably running with that other man to keep me away from him. I knew that man smelled like a Hunter. He must have figured something out.”  Joel let Burnie go, and the human crumpled to the floor in a heap.

“I’ll send you some paperwork to confirm the end of our contract once I pick my angel.” Joel said coldly before snapping his fingers. The rumble of thunder cracked through the room with a bang. Bright purple wing-like appendages appeared behind the demon’s back. Tendrils of curls looked like painted magic symbols spread out from his back and rose to the ceiling in a threatening manner. “Goodbye, Burnie.”

With another loud crack, Joel was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worry fills people's bones

Geoff said not to stop, but jesus, after three straight hours of panicked driving, Michael needed to take a little break. He pulled into the closest Gas station (The last of many miles, the sign outside advertised) to fill up the tank and empty his own. Leaning against the side of the truck as the numbers slowly climbed up, Michael glanced over at the still-sleeping Ray. The other man hadn’t even so much as twitched during the road trip so far. If it wasn’t for the soft rise and fall of his chest, Michael would have assumed his friend was dead.

Hopefully Ray wasn’t in some spontaneous coma. That would suck. Really suck. Granted, their situation was really shitty as it was, but if Ray was a vegetable, Michael would officially lose his mind. He’d be a babbling mess in the hospital bed right next to his not-exactly-dead friend. Really, the worry he felt for his unconscious companion was just another drop in the stress bucket he was carrying around. He knew nothing. He never even saw the guy they were running from; he didn’t even know why he was the one running with Ray in the first place. Michael groaned, grabbing a handful of his curly hair. Geoff was prepared for some shit like this to happen too.

Michael had checked the bag Geoff threw at him when he rushed him out the door and goddamn he was prepared for the worst. Flashlights, Batteries, a giant wad of bills, a fake ID with credit cards under the same name, and even a pistol with bullets were packed inside among other safety things. The most curious thing he had in the bag was a silver knife with some odd characters etched into it. They were symbols that Michael thought looked straight out of some JRPG or something like that.

The pump stopped as the tank had filled up to the brim and Michael went inside to pay with the cash Geoff had so graciously given him. On his way back out, he could deny the crawling feeling inside his gut.  They were running with no place to go, and it felt like they weren’t getting “away” fast enough. Every mile they’d driven felt like there was a shadow nipping at their heels. Michael tried to shake the phantom from his head and climbed back into the truck.

They had a long road ahead.

\--

“Burnie, you’ve got some shit to explain.” Geoff yelled as he burst through his office door. Matt was already sitting in a chair, biting at the skin of his fingers nervously. Neither man seemed surprised that Geoff had barged in with burning fury. From the way Burnie was sitting with his hands clasped on the desk, it was clear he was waiting for the other man.

“Yeah, I know I do. Sit down. “ Burnie said solemnly as he gestured to the open seat next to Matt. Geoff took his spot with a thump.

“Okay.” Geoff started, “You want to tell me why we had a demon strolling around oh-so-casually in our office? Or maybe you want to tell me why I just had to send two of my employees off with no time to explain? I hope you realize I feel like I’ve just sent them both to their deaths!”

Burnie cast his glance down at his hands, “It… it was just—“

“It was _what_ , Burnie?”

Burnie swallowed, “It was time for him to collect his payment…”

“Payment?” Geoff blinked, “Oh my God. Payment for what?  Did you make a goddamn deal with a demon? When? And for fuck sake, why?”

Burnie drew a deep breath and began explaining. It was ten years ago. Red vs Blue had started to take off and none of them had any idea where it was going. It was a risk they weren’t sure to take. No guarantees to be found. All Burnie knew was that he didn’t want it to end. He wanted to make sure that whatever it was they were doing continued. It was fun, it was an adventure into something new. It was like walking a tightrope with no safety net. The crowd called and cheered with excitement as the performer went with the act.  Sure, they had experience from school and other walks of life to make the tightrope less scary, but there was no safety net. Nothing to fall into if they made one misstep. Burnie had tried telling them about his concerns, but he felt like none of them had actually listened to what he had to say. They patted him on the back and told him that everything would work out in the end. Burnie couldn’t handle it. Not then, at least.

Burnie had met Joel at a bar one night. The man had an air of mystery to him, but he seemed far from threatening. Before Burnie had a chance to drink himself into oblivion as planned, Joel had charmed him into sharing his concerns.

“You know,” Joel said, clinking his glass on the counter top, “I can help you out with that. I can give you a guarantee that whatever you plan on doing or making you’ll be successful.”

“That’s complete bullshit.” Burnie laughed.

“No. I’m completely serious, my buzzed friend. If you want, we can talk about the details tomorrow when your judgment will be less impaired.”

Burnie cackled, “What are you gonna do? Show up in the middle of my apartment or something tomorrow?”

Joel simply shrugged, “I’ll do just that. Don’t scream too loudly, okay?”

“Right. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I know you will.”

And true to his word, Joel showed up in the middle of Burnie’s apartment in a cloud of sparking smoke. Casual appearance shed for a far more professional look. A purple vest, crimson dress shirt, equally purple tie, and damson-colored slacks. He had stopped hiding his demon parts as well, as he had tribal-tattoo like markings resting on his cheeks and crawling up the sides of his eyes, but stopping before the eyebrow. On the top of his forehead were two little nubs for horns. On the other end, was an excitedly swishing wire of a tail with an arrowed tip.

“I’m here, Michael “Burnie” Burns, and I’m ready to talk some business.”

Burnie trembled before the Demon, he wouldn’t lie about that. Something about his power, as terrifying as it was, made Burnie believe that he was capable of the things he promised. Surprisingly, he was strictly professional about the entire exchange.

“So what was the deal?” Matt asked, still chewing on his fingers.

“It was what he promised, success in whatever we do, rather, what _I_ did, for my soul in ten years.”

Matt scrunched his eyebrows together, “Why ten years?”

“That’s the typical length of a contract with a demon.” Geoff answered, “That’s pretty much just how they operate. It puts a human’s mind at ease knowing that they don’t have to pay until way into the future. Ten years is a long as dicks time, you know?”

“It didn’t feel long enough to me, that’s for sure.” That was Burnie.

“But clearly he didn’t come to take your soul, from the fact that I’m pretty sure you still have yours and he marked Ray.” Geoff mumbled, “Why Ray?”

“About that…” Burnie trailed off, running his hand through his hair, “He figured out that Ray is an angel, and decided that Ray was worth more than my soul ever would be, so since Ray belonged to us, he belonged to Joel.”

“An Angel?!?” Matt gasped. “I’m having problems thinking that Demons exist, and now you’re saying that angels exist too?!?”

“Bullshit.” Geoff grumbled, “I’m sure that I would have fucking noticed if we had an angel working for us. That kid was just as human as the rest of us, as far as I could tell. And I’ve dealt with both angels and demons before, I think I’d fucking know an angel when I see one. But then again, he did freak out when Joel stepped into the building…

“Oh fucking hell! He was a goddamn ‘human-born’ angel! I would have never known because he _was_ human!”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Both Matt and Burnie asked at the same time.

Geoff suddenly stood, “I’ll explain later, right now I have to go check to see if Michael and Ray are still running for their goddamn lives.”


	8. Chapter 8

_Ray was honestly sick of opening his eyes to the sight of the office. This time he was belly first on the floor, glasses pushed up on his face. Collecting himself, he observed his surroundings. He was demon-less. Frazzled nerves felt a little less frayed once he realized he was completely alone._

_His wings were back, upon inspection, and they still felt strange on his back. Granted, Ray didn’t think he’d ever get used to the idea of having wings anyway. Thinking about the wings reminded him of the mark on his hip. Hiking up his shirt, he saw that the brand that the demon had left in his skin glowed an angry orange color. It didn’t hurt though, much to his surprise._

_The next thing he planned to do was actually look around the office. Since he wasn’t chained to the damn ceiling, maybe he could dig up a little dirt on the man that had been trying to hold him captive. However, Ray wasn’t able to find even a speck of dust in the space. No personal pictures, no papers in drawers, the desk didn’t even so much as have a nametag on it. The office was strangely empty, devoid of any evidence of it ever being used. But Ray could have sworn he had seen paperwork among other things on his desk the last few times he’d been here. So what was so different about this visit? Where was the demon?_

_Ray didn’t have much more time to ponder because he felt a prickling at the back of his neck. An aggressive tickle on his skin set his awareness at maximum. Warning bells clanged loudly in his head. He was in danger, he knew it. Maybe this feeling was what Spiderman’s spidey sense was. Even with adrenaline coursing through his body, his mind wasn’t able to pick a good place to hide. His decision was to dive underneath Joel’s desk and pull the chair in. Granted, whatever was coming was probably going to find him in a heartbeat, but he had to try._

_Below his feet, he felt a quiet rumble, and then a loud ripping sound exploded behind him. It was exactly like the sound of tearing a piece of fabric in one quick motion. He felt the sound travel down his spine, but he did his best not to move._

_He heard rustling on the other side of the desk, footsteps softened by the plush carpet. Another set of feet joined the first._

_“I really don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be here, sir.” A worried male voice said._

_“Oh hush. We aren’t going to touch any of his stuff. Actually, we probably couldn’t even if we wanted to. The bastard hasn’t left his office in years, I just want to see if he left any evidence as to why he actually left. What’s he after I wonder? I need to know.” Another male voice answered calmly. His voice was deeper than the first man’s and seemed almost scratchy._

_A small whimper escaped the first man’s throat, “But what if he finds out that we’ve been here?”_

_“Idiot.” The other man growled, “You should know by now, Chris, that I have the power to make things look flawless. I can hide our trail with ease.”_

_“I—I—Yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry Brandon, sir.” The one called Chis mumbled._

_From there, the two men—possibly demons examined the room from what Ray could hear. They opened file cabinets, swore when they couldn’t find anything, and moved on to the next thing. Every step that they took toward the desk made Ray’s heart thunder in his chest louder. He was already sweating from the office heat, but now he was absolutely soaked in his fear._

_He wanted his heart to stop when he saw their legs peeking out from each side of the desk. The wood scraping from the drawer being pulled clawed his eardrums, making him want to scream._

_“Wait.” The one probably called Brandon said suddenly. “Do you feel that?”_

_“Uhh… no. I don’t feel anything.”_

_Ray saw the shadow on the floor darken as the one man bent down. He was caught. The other man let out an “Aha!” in victory as he all but tore the desk chair out from underneath. Ray tried to push himself farther into the desk, trying to meld into the wood itself, but a gesture from the man’s finger flung his body forward. He landed on his elbows and turned his body upward to face the men he was hiding from._

_The man that had magically yanked Ray out had dark curly hair combed neatly on his head. He had dark skin and sleepy eyes, but still somehow looked fantastic. He was wearing a suit that commanded attention.  Black with Gold accents. He was a stark contrast to all the reds of the room. Brown eyes felt like they were piercing straight through Ray’s skin. There was no doubting that his man was a demon. Yet, he was not the same kind of demon that the one that was holding him captive._

_The other demon looked closer to Ray’s age. Whiter skin, peppy cheekbones, and slightly wild spiky black hair. The younger man was wearing an outfit similar to the other, except he didn’t have the suit jacket. He had a black vest with a white and black stripped shirt underneath. A gold fabric tie shimmered in the light. His eyes were a cooler brown, and seemed to look at Ray in wonder. He didn’t have the same feeling as the other man did. He wasn’t as imposing, kind of like he was a step lower from the curly-haired man._

_He was the one that gasped when Ray was yanked out. “Holy shit. Is that a Soul with a full Consciousness still attached??”_

_The older one bent down to his knees and looked Ray in the face. “Sure looks like it. Wonder why the fuck He’d be holding on to one. Especially keeping it out in the open like this.”_

_The younger one bent as well. “Yeah, I don’t know what would be so special about this Soul. I can barely feel him.”_

_“It’s strange.” The one probably called Brandon said before turning his voice to Ray. “Tell me, human, who are you, why are you here?”_

_Human. He called Ray human. Did he not see the wings on his back? Did either of them not see the white feathered appendages that he was uncomfortably leaning against? Ray opened his mouth, not necessarily to answer them, but to ask them who the fuck they were. Of course, nothing came out of his throat but struggled air. Goddammit._

_The curly-haired one raised an eyebrow. “So he sealed your voice as well? What the fuck do you know?”_

_“Yeaaaahhh, what do you know?” The other one mirrored._

_The two of them looked at Ray like he was meat. They thought Ray was holding onto some juicy information that they wanted to devour. He tried crawling back away from them, pushing his body across the carpet. The two men just looked at him and silently chucked to themselves._

_“What a poor creature.” Brandon said sympathetically, “I really should rescue you from this asshole. I’d make you look so good. You could never look as good as I do, but trust me, you’d get close. You’d be a perfect trophy for my collection. I take great pride in the things I own. Unlike a certain greedy bastard.”_

_Ray attempted to scoot even farther away. Normally he could just shout something to at least boost his own confidence, but with his voice sealed, he couldn’t muster any courage at all. He was helpless._

_Slowly, Brandon started reaching forward, his fingers like a claw grabber ready to grab around its prize. And this particular claw hand wouldn’t drop Ray, no it would probably squeeze around his throat and make his head pop clean off.  Ray wanted him to stay away. He didn’t want to be touched, not by this slimy creep. Fear came to a epitome when he felt his head thump softly against the wall. Cornered._

_He slammed his eyes shut. “Don’ttouchme.Don’ttouchme!” Ray screamed in his head as the hand crept forward. Surely he was going to be yanked away and made into some disgusting playtoy._

_A crackle broke through the air. The next noise Ray heard was Brandon yelling. Chris joined in after, fearing for his master. Ray willed one eye open to see that purple electricity had enveloped his body, and was attacking Brandon’s hand full-force.  The flesh of Brandon’s was being burned away, regenerated, and torn apart in a matter of seconds._

_“You motherfucker!” Brandon screamed, “How dare you! How dare he do this to me! He went so far as to put a barrier around this piece of shit soul?” The demon was pissed, that’s for sure. The lightning barrier continued to rip his flesh apart, but he didn’t pull his hand away. No, now he was more determined than ever to get his hands around Ray’s pretty neck. He pushed forward. The lightning now tore apart the suit sleeves and crawled up his arm._

_A ball started to form in the pit of Ray’s stomach. A ball of energy, he could feel it. It was warm and curled around his insides, melting away his fear and giving him strength. The ball moved to his hands, and when he looked down, he could see that they were glowing in a white light. Ray pulled his elbows back, and then shoved them forward._

_A shockwave blasted from his palms, sending both demons flying across the room. They collided with the wall, leaving craters where their bodies hit. They reacted quickly, no time to groan in pain, they sprang forward in defensive positions. Ray could tell that it was purely instinctual, the way they hunched over and snarled._

_Then it dawned on them. Brandon’s eyes blazed gold while Chris’s blazed a weak orange._

_“Angel.” They said at the same time before pouncing again._

_\--_

“I won’t let you touch me!” Ray shouted, jerking his body forward.

“HOLY FUCK! Ray!” Michael screamed, jerking the steering wheel to get the truck back on the road after nearly driving them both off the road. “Okay, Ray. Nice to see you finally the fuck awake, but goddamn don’t be screaming like that! I could have killed us both!”

Ray blinked and rubbed at his tired eyes.  A quick look around made him realize he was in a vehicle.  Why? How did he even get here? “Michael…” He started, still trying to get a grasp on his situation.

“What do you remember last?” Michael asked, eying him on occasion.

Ray groaned feeling a slight throbbing in his head and an ache on his hip. Yeah, the hip, absolutely burning and feeling like parts of him were going to explode. He told Michael that the last thing he remembered was being in the office and the next thing he knew he was on the floor.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Michael said, nodding his head. “You passed out from the pain or whatever. Then Geoff lifted your shirt, saw the mark, and freaked the fuck out. He practically shoved us into his truck and told me to drive you the fuck away. Kind of like when you are playing a game and have to run away from that lava wall that’s closing in on you. That’s what we are doing.”

When Michael mentioned the mark, Ray pulled up his shirt and looked at it. The angry glow had dimmed to a color of Code Red Mountain Dew. Nothing quite like having the carcinogen Red Dye No. 40 tattooed on your body. “But… who are we running from?” Ray asked.

“Apparently from Burnie’s guest that visited. I never saw the guy. He’s like, an asshole or something. I don’t know. Geoff never got the chance to explain. He said he would though later.” Michael let out a frustrated noise. “Gah! This whole entire thing is driving me nuts! I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s on your skin, I don’t know who we are running, why we are running, and it’s pissing me the fuck off! I mean, thank fuck you woke up, but I’m far from relieved.”

“Sorry.” Ray mumbled. “Yeah, I have no idea what the fuck is going on either. Not to mention I just had another one of my weird nightmares.”

Michael forced out a chuckle, “Perfect timing, hunh?” 

Ray never went on to explain what happened in the nightmare. He didn’t think Michael would understand. Wings, demons, barriers of lightning, and light shooting from his hand would make it sound like he’d been playing too many RPGs lately. Granted, he had been, but that is far from the point. So, instead of saying anything, he just let silence fall between them momentarily.

As if Michael understood that Ray didn’t want to talk about their situation, he turned to small talk. Casual chatting that carried them far down the road past sunset. When darkness had enveloped their travels, Michael finally pulled over into a roadside motel.

“Geoff said not to stop, but goddamn I am tired and you can’t exactly drive, now can you?” Michael said as he got out of the vehicle. He grabbed Geoff’s bag and threw it over his shoulder.

Ray followed out of the vehicle, but stopped to look behind them.

A storm was rolling in.

\--

Think of the cheapest piece of shit you can think of, subtract the cockroaches, and that’s what this place was.  Two shitty beds with sheets that smelled like piss and at least two year’s worth of dust covered every surface possible. There was a reason the room was only $50 for the night, and even then, Michael was sure he overpaid. But Michael couldn’t even muster the energy to complain as he landed face-first into the bed. His moaning was muffled.

Ray gently sat on his own bed, far from tired. He did sleep most of the day away after all, and he was used to going to bed at 2am anyway. Picking up the remote, he flipped through various tv channels until he found one that was actually watchable and wasn’t porn.

He had just settled himself against the headboard when his phone blasted its ringtone angrily. Both men flailed at the unexpected sound and swung to the space inbetween the beds to look at the phone. The caller idea said Geoff. After making brief eye contact, Ray hit the answer button and immediately put it on speaker.

“Geoff?” Ray answered.

“Oh thank fuck.” Geoff’s relieved voice breathed on the other end, “You’re awake. Michael with you?”

“Right here.” Michael answered.

“Good. Where you at?”

“Some shitty motel close to 10 hours away from Austin. I needed to take a break from driving.”

They heard a soft sigh from the other end of the line. “Yeah. That’s okay. Just make sure you are on the road the next time you wake up. If that happens to be 4am, I don’t care, just move your asses please.”

“Will do.” Michael agreed. “But are we going to get some idea of what’s going on here? Who are we running from? What’s going on with Ray? Hell, do you even know?”

“Yeah. I do know, and it’s not good.”

Ray swallowed, “What is it?”

“Get comfy boys, because I’m about to tell you something that is going to sound like complete bullshit and I swear to you it’s anything but. This shit is real, and I’m not playing some cruel joke on you. You have my word.”

Michael and Ray exchanged nervous glances. “Okay…” Ray urged Geoff on.

Another heavy sigh. “Where the fuck do I begin?” Both men could picture Geoff rubbing at his face. “Okay. Let’s begin with something simple. Angels and demons exist, and they aren’t just the typical Christian design you might know them to be. Yeah, some angels are beautiful and human-like, and some demons are just crazy 1000-eyed monsters, but those designs can flip-flop. Trust me, I’ve seen them all. I used to fight those fuckers back in the day.”

“Geoff, you’ve been drinking too much. Demons? Yeah, like I’m going to believe that.” Michael spat out.

Ray started shaking. “No. Michael. I—I believe him. J-Just keep listening to him. Geoff, go on.”

“Right. There’s a thing about some demons though,  they try and collect souls if they feel up to it. I never actually figured out what they did with them, but that’s what they do. They make deals with humans, provide a service in exchange for their soul. This is usually in the form of a ten year contract.

“The fucking incredible Burnie Burns made such a contract with a Demon.” Geoff paused and waited for Michael to quit bitching about how fucking stupid this story was sounding.  Ray shoved Michael and told him to shut up.

“And that demon… he came today, didn’t he?” Ray’s voice trembled as he asked the question.

“Yes. But not to pick up Burnie’s soul.  He found something worth much more than Burnie’s soul.”

Michael laughed nervously, “Like what? Ray? Are you telling me that Ray is somehow worth more than Burnie? That’s crazy!”

“No, it’s not. Not when—“

“Not when Ray is a beautiful angel.” A voice interrupted from behind Ray. “My beautiful angel, I must add.”

Both Michael and Ray gaped at the man that was now standing in their motel room.

“Hello boys.” He said with a fanged grin. “My name is Joel Heyman. I don’t think I had the pleasure of meeting you earlier today.”


	9. Chapter 9

Ray opened his mouth to scream. His hip had instantly exploded in pain upon making eye contact with the man that had appeared in the room. Joel, he had called himself just grinned at Ray as his body seized on itself and made him twitch off the bed.

Michael had also taken to yelling, scrambling to get away, clawing at the bed sheets. Ultimately he fell off the other end of the bed.  Joel chuckled rather loudly.

Ray could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. A mix of pain and fear painted itself on his face.

“Oh… that really looks like it hurts. I’ll fix you right up. Good as new.” Joel looked sympathetic, but whether it was genuine, Ray couldn’t tell. As the demon stepped toward him the pain worsened and Ray cried out from the pain. Even with his body crippled, he tried to scoot away. He had no reason to trust the demon, had no reason not to fear him.

Really, he looked like a worm that didn’t know how to move with most of his limbs rendered useless. Yet he continued to fight.  The look of pity on Joel’s face only grew the more Ray struggled.

“D-Doooon’t. Don’t t-t-t-ouch me.” Ray nearly spat between groans when the demon hovered over him.

“I’m just going to make the pain go away. Your body is fighting itself, and that’s partly my fault. Gotta fix my mistakes. I really don’t want to you to be completely broken before I take you home.” Joel cooed as he bent over.

Ray shot out a hand to attempt to catch the demon’s wrist. While he was successful in grabbing his wrist, he didn’t have the strength to actually stop the hand from descending on his hip. As soon as Joel made contact with his skin, Ray’s entire body went rigid. Every muscle locked up, he was basically a stone. Ray’s vision went completely white. Even though he couldn’t see, he could feel something inside him winding, like that of a fisherman cranking the reel of his rod. The pain that had been racking his body was starting to recede, centering at the mark on his hip. 

The battle that his body had been raging stopped instantly, an inner war between angel and demon put to rest. While it may not hold, the peace treaty of Joel’s spell would at least keep the pain away for the time being.

It also felt like a key had been turned inside his chest. Warmth flooded his body. The very same warmth he felt in the nightmare he had earlier. He was able to grab onto that power easier than before, and he sent it straight to his hands.

“Better?” Joel asked as he took his hand away.

Ray smirked. “Much.” He said before thrusting his fist upward, catching Joel right in his perfect jaw. The shockwave erupted from his fist in a bright flash.  Ray had expected the demon to go flying; however, Joel was far more in control than Brandon had been.  He took the blow, his feet only just scraping against the carpet, but he still loomed over Ray.

Joel cracked his neck. “Looks like you’ve got some real fight in you. I like that. But I don’t appreciate you trying to blow my head off as thanks for awakening your inner angel and quelling the fight that your body was in.”

“Fuck you.” Ray picked himself off the floor, glaring at the demon that only smiled at him in return. Even if his power wasn’t enough, he still had something to fight with. It gave him hope that maybe he and Michael would be able to escape.

“Man, if only the angels in heaven could hear the mouth on you. They’d be dying by the handful.” Joel laughed heartily at his own joke.  “You’re going to fit in just perfectly back home.”

“I’m not going with you.” Ray said firmly.

Joel reached out and brushed Ray’s chin, “Oh, but you are, my angel. This is not up for debate. And fight me all you want, I will take you back kicking and screaming the entire way down to hell. Well, minus the screaming, because I’ll silence your voice like I usually do.”

“Ray! Duck!” Michael’s voice screamed suddenly. His newfound reflexes allowed Ray to duck his head just in time for a lamp to go soaring over and smash Joel right in the face. Joel  took a step back as the lampshade got caught on his head.

A loud crash came behind Ray and he had seen that Michael had taken a chair to the window and busted it open. “C’mon! Let’s go!” He commanded as he grabbed Geoff’s bag and hurdled through the window.  Ray threw out another shockwave that made Joel land on his ass, giving Ray just enough time to dive through the shattered window as well.

They jumped into Geoff’s truck and squealed the tires to get the fuck away. They sped down the road with Michael flooring it like Speed Racer. They wove through traffic with no concern for other drivers.  It felt like they were in a movie chase scene, hell they wished it were a movie chase scene because then there’d be someone that could call ‘cut!’ at any second that would end the madness they were in. The engine roared just above their thundering hearts, and they knew that even as they fled, they weren’t safe.

“I want to ask if we lost him, but I know that I’m going to regret that question as soon as I ask.” Ray said, breathing heavily.

Michael mustered a smile. “Yeah that would be funny if you jinx—OH FUCKING HELL!”  Michael yelled as he checked the rearview mirror. Ray yanked himself around and he saw Joel sitting on the tailgate delicately. His hair and tie were whipping in the wind, but he looked complacent. He waved like the fucker he was.

Then in the next moment he was sitting in the back seats through a method of teleportation.  He leaned forward and had one arm on the back of each of the front seats.

“So, where are we going?” He asked jokingly.

Michael took his eyes off the road just long enough for the truck to jerk its way over the dividing line.

“You might want to focus, my curly-haired friend.”  Joel suggested as he pointed toward the front window.

Of course there was a semi-truck, horns blaring, coming straight at them. Ray and Michael screamed as Michael tried to correct the truck, but he was too late. They were going to die in a fiery, cliché car crash.

Except not, because with a wave of Joel’s hand, the semi jerked to the left and their own truck jerked to the right. The sideview mirror scrapped against the side of the semi with angry sparks and metal shrieking in protest.

“Holy shit!” Michael cussed as he corrected the truck once more back to their side of the road.

“Really, you should just pull over. I’m giving you the choice now, because I can always control your body and force you to pull over.”

Michael glanced over at Ray, who at this point had given up. “Just do what he says.” Ray said with a sigh.

“Good choice.” Joel hummed as Michael reluctantly pulled the truck over.

\--

Their current situation didn’t look like a good one. Michael and Ray were now standing outside the truck, leaning against it as Joel simply stood before them. All of the energy Ray had been feeling before was gone. Like he was a dead battery in need of recharging. It drained him of his will to fight, and Michael wasn’t capable fighting, but he did try to look intimidating. For a man that had no weapons, it felt like Joel had them both at gunpoint.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do.” Joel started, “We are going to stop this game of tag, Ray is going to come with me, Michael going to go back to the office and tell his coworkers that Ray will no longer be working for Roosterteeth, effective immediately. Don’t worry about the motel; I’ll pay for all damages.”

“And what?” Michael spat, “I’m just supposed to accept this? I’m just supposed to accept that Ray’s a fucking angel, and that you’re a fucking demon? I’m just supposed to let my friend go and I have to act like it’s not a big fucking deal? Are you out of your goddamn mind? You’re a demon! You’re going to gut him like a fish, and probably put him on display!”

Joel put a hand on his chest and honestly looked offended, “I would never! No. You see, I’m a greed demon. I take very good care of the things I own, because I own them and _want_ to keep them. If Ray’s mental health wouldn’t be hurt by it, I probably would have killed you for your insolence at this point. That’s why I haven’t hurt you, and won’t hurt you. I know a certain Pride demon that would have murdered all of Rooster teeth in some grand fashion to make an example of his power and then brag about it. Be happy I’m not him! As a matter of fact, Ray is probably safer with me than he is on this planet.”

Ray thought about the other two demons he had encountered earlier. Yeah. Because that was totally safe. Ray was about to mention something when Michael spoke up again.

“You’re a piece of shit motherfucker, I hope you know.”

“Does this mean that you’re going to do what I’ve said?”

Michael’s shoulders dropped, “I—I don’t…. Ray I… we don’t have much of a choice anymore…”

Ray reached out and patted Michael’s shoulder “Yeah. I know. It’s okay, Michael. We tried our best. Tell everyone that I’m going to be okay.”

“You don’t know that!”

Ray smiled, “And even if I don’t know that, even if I’m not going to be okay, what’s the point of dragging you all down with me? Life’s too short to be negative.”

“Shut your mouth!  Shut your goddamn mouth, Ray!” Michael choked out a sob, “You’re just going to go with him? We have no idea wherever the fuck he’s taking you, and we won’t be able to contact you, or see you ever again! It’s like you’re dead, and we never get to see a body! The last memory of the guys will have of you is your body on the floor, what kind of memory is that!? And after we fucking fought so hard, we’re just going to give up like this! What kind of absolute bullshit is this? I don’t want this. I don’t fucking want this. We get no fucking warning, and we just have to act like it’s perfectly fucking normal! Why!?”

By the end of end of his speech, he was nearly bawling. His voice was raspy, like he wanted to scream and just couldn’t force his vocal cords to do so.

“This is just a price that needs to be paid.” Joel said simply. “Take it as a lesson. Don’t deal with demons.” The matter-of-fact tone that came out of his throat made Ray wonder if he was masking sympathies for Michael. It didn’t sound very demon-y of him to go out of his way to say not to deal with demons. It sounded very counterproductive, actually.

“Fuck you.” Michael growled bitterly in the demon’s direction. He wiped at the tears that were dribbling down his face. Ray thought he looked absolutely miserable.

Ray squeezed his shoulder. “I’m going to miss everyone if that means anything. Probably doesn’t, but I really don’t know what to say. I might try and escape. You know, because that always works in videogames and Family Guy.”

Joel snorted, amused by the younger man’s idea.

“I’m really surprised you aren’t hurrying us along.” Ray said to Joel, and in response he shrugged.

“I’ve been waiting ever since I found you; it’s not going to kill me to wait a little bit more. Besides, you still haven’t said goodbye.”

Ray cast his gaze down at the graveled shoulder of the road. “I don’t want to say it.”

“You’re going to regret it if you don’t.”

Ray looked back up at Joel, “Since when do you have a heart?”

“I assure you, my angel, that I’ve always had one. I can always tear open my chest and show its bright red beating to you if you want. Although, I’ve never figured out why it’s still red since my blood is black. Wanna see?”

Michael’s mouth was hanging open, and Ray just blinked, “Uh. No thanks?”

Joel laughed at their expressions. “I was joking. Mostly. I can actually open my chest cavity. Hurts like bastard, though.” His smile fell, “But seriously, you really should say goodbye to your friend here, because this will be the only chance you will get to say it to anyone. Say it now.”

Joel was right. Ray would regret it if he didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Sure, he would love to say it to everyone back at the office, and he would love it even more if he didn’t have to say it at all. At least this way, he only had to see one face crushed and torn emotionally into shreds. Hell, he could picture in his head anyway. He already witnessed Michael’s breakdown. Jack would be bawling uncontrollably. Gavin would look like he didn’t give a shit, but he’d say goodbye and probably drown himself in alcohol after Ray left. Geoff would be screaming, yelling about everything else they could do and how could he just go after fighting so hard. Ryan wouldn’t look happy, but he’d nod and tell him to stay safe. Lindsay would probably try and find the sword prop they had her use in a Recap once and attempt to behead Joel. Caleb would be shaking mess, and Kdin would cast a silent glance that said more words than he could ever share. These people were his family; he knew them better than anyone else in the world and he hated that he was leaving them.

He pulled Michael into a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you guys so fucking much.”

Michael squeezed back, “Yeah. I know you are.”

Ray released, and held back the dam of tears that threatened to burst. Taking a few steps back toward Joel, he felt claw-like fingers gently place themselves on his shoulder.

“Goodbye, Michael.”

“Goodbye, Ray.”

As soon as the words finished coming out of Michael’s mouth, a purple vortex opened up behind Joel and Ray. It swirled angrily, with small lightning bolts scattering around it in a fury. It swallowed Joel and Ray, and in the next moment they were gone.

Michael dropped to his knees.


	10. Chapter 10

This was the one time Ray was expecting to open his eyes, see a familiar office, his arms chained above his head, and feel like his skin had really bad sunburn. And while his skin had a slight prickle to it, when he opened his eyes, he was decidedly not in that tiny little office he had grown to know and despise. Instead, he was in a generally empty circular room with salmon tinted stone walls.

“Welcome to the gateway of the Under. Now try and be as quiet as possible.” Joel said sternly before reaching down and grabbing Ray’s hand. Their feet lifted off the ground like they were suddenly weightless and they shot forward. Ray thought for sure they were going to slam head first into a wall, but Joel raised his hand and a purple magic circle appeared on the wall. Bracing himself for impact, they passed right through it as if there was nothing there to begin with. Beyond the wall was a seemingly endless hallway lined with dark wood doors. Every door had number or a symbol on it, but at the speed they were flying through the air Ray couldn’t get a good look at them.

Flying through the air felt weird, especially since they were doing so magically. Ray could feel his wings on his back, the air through his feathers, and he felt like he should have been using them instead. He wondered briefly if he could move them just the right way to slow him down, to become more of a burden on his borderline-kidnapper. As he tried to shift his wings, it became clear that he didn’t have the muscle control yet.  Also, the angry glare that Joel shot him was enough to make him freeze.

“This is not the time to fuck around.” Joel hissed quietly, squeezing his hand tigther. “I’m not a goddamn pride demon. I can’t just hide you and make everything look okay.”

Ray felt the fear bleed from Joel into his own body. It was cold, a shocking contrast from the suffocating warm air he’d been thrown in. There was a time and a place to fight a demon, and this apparently was not it.  He stopped his fidgeting immediately.

They sped down the hallway, and Ray noticed that the spacing between doors started to increase. Instead of locker-tight spacing, there was now a good foot or two. There was more ornamentation on the doors, at least, from what Ray could tell. Little golden bits on the corners counts as decoration, right? As they flew, the doors became more sparse, and little name plaques started to appear on the doors.

“Almost there.” Joel breathed, giving Ray’s hand a squeeze.

They slowed to a stop in front of a door that was surprisingly plain compared to the other doors he had started to see. It was just as dark as the other, with swirls of gold plating on the corners. A gold nameplate read “J. Heyman.” Underneath etched into the door itself was a strange symbol. It was a circle of interlocking lines, but if you looked close enough, you could just barely make out the letter G among the pattern.

Joel let go of Ray’s hand and put both palms about three inches away from the door. His hands started to glow, and a giant purple magic circle appeared on the door. It started turning and shifting with little circles inside moving like gears. It reminded Ray of some strange clockwork.

Joel cursed something while trying to unlock the door. He said something along the lines of how this was the only time this barrier had been activated. Apparently Joel had pretty much shot himself in the foot by making this barrier, because it was only good for preventing physical bodies, and physical bodies are few and far between in The Under. Also, pouring more magic into the lock wouldn’t actually make it go faster, as much as he wished it would.

The way Joel grumbled and cursed quietly at the door made Ray want to laugh.  Isn’t it always funny when your enemies struggle?

The magic circle made a few more turns before it dissipated and Joel dropped his arms. Relief washed over his face as he turned the knob and opened the door. Beyond the door was a white vortex that swirled angrily. Joel looked over at his angel and gestured with his horned head, telling him to step inside.

Ray swallowed, fear creeping under his skin, but he realized he didn’t have much of a choice. He stepped into the vortex without a moment’s hesitation. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to fall.

However, when he didn’t feel air passing underneath him, and the ground beneath his feet felt stable, he blinked his eyes open again.

Laid out in front of him was a large room that looked like a fancy hotel lobby. The cream colored tile with various circle patterns made up the floor. A few feet in front of him were a small set of steps that walked up to a raised part of the floor. Tables with plush chairs were carefully placed to be visually appealing. Toward the back wall was a long wooden desk that was framed by golden texture.  There were two doors to the right of the desk, and one door to the left.

He noticed that there were other people in the lobby and they were all staring directly at him.  Their gazes were illuminated like when a cat catches the light in their eyes, except the color was varied shades of purple. They looked at him hungrily, like they were going to pounce on him at any moment and eat him alive.

Feeling tiny under the gaze, Ray was half-tempted to ruffle his feathers and appear bigger than he was. Kind of like how birds try to instill fear in their competitors. But he didn’t move, he wasn’t going to trigger them.

“Calm down. Calm down.” Joel said from behind Ray. “I ask that everyone leave.”

At his command, everyone in the room left in puffs of smoke. Everyone except for one lady that sat behind the desk. 

Joel took a few steps forward and turned to face Ray. He cleared his throat. “Well, welcome to my space in the Under. You are currently in the fourth highest circle, the highest circle for demons such as myself can live in. This is now your home, Ray.”

“Nice job decorating hell to make it look like it’s not hell.” Was what Ray was going to say, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the serpent spell of silence that had bound his throat so many times now squeezed again.

The demon saw Ray’s struggle and looked shocked. “Shit. Sorry.” He mumbled, snapping his fingers and releasing Ray’s throat. “I didn’t know it was gonna bind you again as soon as we got there. I thought that bringing your physical body here would cancel out the spell. No wonder you were being so quiet.”

Ray rubbed at his neck, feeling like the spell was lingering. “Thanks.” He said bitterly. Ray had no reason to thank him for anything, yet the word had found its way through his mouth.

Joel nodded his head, giving off a hint of a smile. “So, my plan is to sit you down and have a good long talk with you about all sorts of things. One of those things being where we came from, and why we had rush through it. And if time allows, I’ll give you a small tour.”  Joel said before letting out a deep sigh. “But first, we must speak to Ms. Chloe. I don’t have much choice in the matter.”

Joel stepped up to the desk, and Ray followed closely behind. The woman behind it had her arms folded and wore one hell of a glare. She had bright blond hair that swept off to the side and curled right below her chin. The rest of her hair was pulled back in a short spiky ponytail. Her burning green eyes were a shocking contrast to the purple Ray had been swimming in earlier. They were punctuated further by the large electric pink framed glasses that sat neatly on her nose. Her mouth was turned up in an upside down v shape. Ray noticed that she also had wings, but unlike his feathered ones, and Joel’s pink and purple magic lines, hers were sharp and black. They looked similar to the tribal markings on Joel’s face.

“Welcome back, Mr. Heyman.” She said without of any of the sincere care someone would assume would come from someone sitting behind a desk.  She said his name almost like she were spitting poison. Ray jerked when her eyes landed on him. “And a ‘warm’ welcome to you as well, Mr. Narvaez. I am Ms. Chloe. If you drop the ‘Ms.’ I can and will drop kick your face.”

“Friendly as usual, aren’t you Ms. Chloe?” Joel chuckled nervously.

Ms. Chloe rolled her eyes, “You know as well as I do that I’m not here to be friendly, and after all these years, you should know that by now.”

“And I do. However, since it’s been so long since I’ve brought someone new, I figured maybe some of your ice cold heart would have managed to fake an ounce of care. Especially since Ray’s a person of value and part of your responsibility now.”

“Don’t remind me.” Ms. Chloe snarled.

The relationship between Ms. Chloe and Joel felt different from his relationship to all the other people that looked at him like he was lunch. The other’s had disappeared at Joel’s calm command, giving Ray the idea that he was in charge of them.  Ms. Chloe was different. She stood almost defiant to Joel’s will. Ray could barely look Joel in the eyes, and here was this woman, almost making Joel turn away.

He wondered just what made her different.

“So…” Joel began, “Anything happen in my absence?”

“Of course something happened.” Ms. Chloe stated.  “Something always happens when you leave your space, doesn’t it?” She picked up a clipboard that was sitting on her desk and pulled a pen from behind her ear.  

Joel cracked a smile, “Alright, well, let’s start with the usual list of things and leave the big thing for last.”

“Of course.” She said, “First off, one of your bigger contracts ended so I sent Imp Ellis to go retrieve it. He should be back in an hour or so. The modified space for your angel here has been stabilized so all it needs now is a barrier and we can call that project finished. The Shrubs that worked on the space were paid and dismissed. The paperwork for your return is sitting on your desk, and a time has been scheduled for a meeting with the Elder Demonae. I’ve marked your calendar in your office.”

Joel listened intently, taking every word she said carefully. Right now he looked like a big CEO listening to a secretary’s notes. And while the notes didn’t mean anything to Ray, he knew that some of them had to do with him.

“Sounds good. So then what’s the big thing?” He asked.

“Right. Well. Your office had a break-in while you were gone. While nothing was taken as far as we were aware, there was some minor damage done. We’ve tried to examine the magic used in your office to get an idea of what kind of demon it may have been but we haven’t figured anything out yet. Your entire office was covered in a layer of remaining Angelic magic that’s been affecting our findings.”

Joel didn’t look surprised at all, “How much damage was done?”

“Just two decently sized craters in your walls.” She answered matter-of-fact “Presumably from the intruder’s bodies flying into them. I’ve held off on repairs because I didn’t know if you wanted to be the one to fix it or to just grab some Shrubs to do it.”

Joel paused to think about it. “I’ll fix it. Thanks.  Shrubs would probably get the paint color wrong somehow and I’d have a chimera of paint colors on my wall. Don’t want that, now do we? Anything else?”

“Yes.” She nodded, “Just one more thing. So we can get an idea of who broke in, I’m going to ask that you probe your angel for answers, or I’m going to do it myself.”

“I’ll ask him later. Who broke in isn’t too much of a problem. Especially since I have an idea of who did it already.”

“Understood.” She said, crossing off the list she had on her clipboard. “Now I suggest you put your new toy to bed as soon as possible. You’ve got work to get back to tomorrow.”

And in that instant the mood changed. Joel’s eyes narrowed and he closed the gap between them by leaning over the desk. Ray could hear the crunch of his teeth growing and cracking into place. This fangs had grown almost too large for his mouth as he bared his teeth.  “Ms. Chloe. Do not call Ray _a toy_ ever again. While he may be my possession, he is far from being a simple toy.”

Ms. Chloe didn’t even flinch in the face of erupting anger. She simply huffed. “Understood, Mr. Heyman.”

Ray was surprised by Joel’s action and the apparent anger on his face. Joel had reacted violently to someone calling Ray a toy when all this time that’s how Ray had felt. In all the dreams, Joel had played with him! He had teased him, hid his face like a game of Guess Who, and chased him around like they were playing tag! And now Joel was snapping because someone called him a _toy_?

If he wasn’t Joel’s toy, then what _was_ he?


End file.
